Bittersweet
by Livingintheveil
Summary: Mordred and Morgana were prophesied to form an alliance that would one day be the downfall of Arthur. But, what if an even stronger bond was formed between Mordred and Merlin? Will Mordred be able to stop his destiny? Or are the pulls of their fate too strong for even love to stop them?
1. Chapter 1

"Help..."

Merlin paused at the small and frail sounding voice that invaded his mind. He made his way outside to the courtyard with hard and searching eyes, but couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Please..."

Merlin's eyes finally fell upon the boy in the green cloak. He was was leaning against the fountain, apparently hiding. From what, Merlin did not know.

"Help me..."

The boy once again pleaded. Merlin turned to the sound of clanking chain mail. Guards had entered the courtyard in search of something.

Merlin now understood.

They were after the boy.

"Why are they after you?" Merlin asked the boy in his head.

The boy gave no real answer, only once again repeating his pitiful plea for Merlin's help.

"they're going to kill me!"

Merlin looked once more over to where the guard were searching. A call from one of other guards led them all running out of the courtyard. Merlin quickly moved across the courtyard and opened up one of the small servant doors.

"This way," he called out with his mind to the boy, nodding his head in the direction of the door.

The boy quickly got up and ran towards Merlin, grasping his arm in pain as he made his way towards the young sorcerer. Merlin barley had time to usher his through the door before he heard shouting. The guards had seen the child running in the servant's door. He only hoped that they hadn't seen that it was him who pointed him in this direction. Grasping the boy's hand he pulled him to get away from the fast approaching guards. Without thinking he burst into Morgana's chambers, closing the door behind him quickly and wrapping his arms around the boy. Morgana and Gwen halted their giggling and looked at Merlin with fond exasperation.

"Have you forgotten how to knock Merlin?" Morgana asked good-naturedly.

Merlin looked up at Morgana, panting slightly from outrunning his-or, more accurately, the boy's-perusers.

"The guards were after him, I didn't know what to do," Merlin said,  
looking to his friend with a pleading look.

Morgana looked to the boy, Merlin saw something unrecognizable cross her face. She quickly, however, broke out of this trance.

"In there," she said, motioning to behind her screen.

Merlin quickly took the boy and hid behind the curtains. He heard the harsh pounding at the door.

"My lady, I'm sorry to disturb you..."

Merlin looked down at the boy. He couldn't be more than ten years of age. He wondered what the child could have possibly done to make the guard search for him so fiercely. Suddenly the boy started to quickly moved close to catch him as he lost he fell the tunic he had under his cloak fell to the right, exposing the truth of why the guards wanted to find him so badly.

He was a Druid.


	2. Chapter 2

"Quick, put him on the bed." Morgana said to Merlin, a panicked tone entering her voice once she noticed the boy was no longer conscious.

Merlin lifted the young Druid into his arms. He was light, even by standards of a child. Merlin accounted to what he would imagine to be hard living. Having to live in the forest, all the while living with the fear that you would be found, and executed, mearly because you possessed magic.  
Once he was on the bed Merlin took a step back from the boy to where Morgana and Gwen stood, both sharing worried looks on their faces. Morgana looked to Merlin. The worried look on her face vaguely reminded him of the look of a mother when her child was ill.  
Gwen moved towards the boy to remove his cloak. Immediately it became evident why the child had collapsed. On his right arm was a deep cut that could only have been made by the blade of a sword. The long sleeve of the child's tunic near the gash had already begun to stain with blood.  
Merlin moved towards Gwen to help her remove the young Druid's tunic. The cut was uglier than it had appeared through the tunic. Merlin and Gwen turned their heads to the sound of a loud 'riiiiip!'  
Morgana had torn off a strip of her blanket.  
Gwen shot up from her task, leaving Merlin to pull of the boy's tunic alone.

"My lady, what are you-"

Her question quickly trailed off when Merlin finally managed to pull off the blood stained shirt. The mark of the Druids stood out in stark contrast to his pail skin.  
Gwen looked to Merlin.

"This is why the guards were after him."

It wasn't a question. Gwen had been under the rule of Uther all her life. She knew by now what happens to those with magic.  
Morgana was not the least bit derailed by this discovery. In fact, if Merlin would say so, it seemed to light a fire of determination within the king's ward.  
She moved closer to the injured arm of the boy and wrapped the wound with the strip of cloth she tore from her bed.  
"Morgana," Merlin said," I could have gone and gotten something to wrap his arm."  
Morgana looked at his sharply.  
"And just wait here and let him bleed out?"  
Merlin cast his eyes away from hers. The king's ward realized the harshness of her statement and her sharp expression softened into her usual kind and compassionate one.  
"I'm sorry Merlin, you're the who saved him in the first place. I-"

She stopped,not quite sure how to continue. Merlin gave her a warm smile, letting her know all was well between them.

"MERLIIIN!"

Merlin swore under his breath as he remembered he was supposed to be fetching the prince's breakfast. If there was anything Arthur hated more than Merlin's poor swordsmanship, it was Merlin not retrieving his food in an acceptable amount of his gaze on the still unconscious child, Merlin was stillhesitant to answer his master's shout. He couldn't possibly go and leave Gwen and Lady Morgana caring for the boy.

"Go," Morgana said,"we'll look after him."

Merlin looked at both Morgana and Gwen for confirmation. He knew Morgana wouldn't mind, but he wasn't sure Gwen was okay with harboring the Druid in her Lady's room. Gwen nodded he head.

"Go on then," she said,"before he comes here looking for you."

With a grateful nod and one last glance at the boy, Merlin got up from beside the Druid and made his way towards the loud shouts of the future king.

* * *

Author's note: sorry for a short chapter. I really tried writing this one longer but it just wasn't happening. Next chapter is most likely going to be kind of short as well since it's still introductions and what-not, but hopefully as the story gains pace it will also gain length*crosses fingers*.


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